Much of Hawkeye's first two episodes were devoted to establishing the dynamic between Clint Barton and Kate Bishop, but the ending of the second instalment was undeniably huge.
With Clint and Kate at the mercy of the Tracksuit Mafia, we learn that the woman in charge of the gang is none other than Maya Lopez/Echo. She looks seriously intense here, and while there's no sign of that familiar handprint marking on her face, it appears Echo is keen to get her hands on Ronin.
In the comic books, Maya's father was a gangster called Willie "Crazy Horse" Lincoln who was murdered by Wilson Fisk. He brought the young girl up as his own, sending her to a school where it was discovered she was a prodigy able to replicate nearly anything she sees (not quite in the same way as Taskmaster; she's instead just an incredibly skilled fighter who happens to be a quick learner). Fooled into believing Daredevil killed her father, Maya set out on a mission for revenge.
You can probably guess where this is going. In the MCU, it seems likely that Maya believes Ronin was responsible for what happened to her dad, with the Kingpin of Crime possibly pulling the strings from afar. If so, that could be a huge development, and points to an exciting four weeks ahead.
Echo will no doubt see the error of her ways by the time her spinoff series rolls around, and we'd be willing to bet that includes Daredevil and Fisk with Hawkeye as a stepping stone to that story.
How do you see things playing out after today's cliffhanger?
About The Author:
Comic Book Reader. Film Lover. WWE and F1 Fan. Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and ComicBookMovie.com's #1 contributor.